Can Ifeanyi Momah Make This Team?

The Philadelphia Eagles season started Monday as rookies and selected veterans reported to the NovaCare Complex for training camp. Many positions are open for competition and will be played out in the coming weeks of camp.

Among the positions open for competition is the wide receiving group. Twelve wide receivers will head into training camp fighting for a job and, beyond DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin (probably Jason Avant, too) there are no locks.

Four receivers reported to training camp on Monday. BJ Cunningham, Will Murphy, Russell Sheppard, and Ifeanyi Momah are all getting the early reps before the full team reports on Thursday.

Momah (pronounced If-ah-nee Mow-ma) is the interesting story among the wide receiver group. The 6-7 pass catcher hasn’t put pads on in two years. As a Boston College graduate, Momah had what he calls an “interesting career.” After redshirting his junior season and tearing his ACL in the first game of 2011, Momah requested a sixth season but the NCAA declined his request.

“2012 was just a rehabbing year,” said Momah. After arguing with his family about entering the 2012 NFL Draft, Momah decided that it was in his best interest to take the year off and rehab. He was eligible for the draft but was passed on in all seven rounds and decided to not work out for any teams. “I feel better than I’ve ever been,” says Momah after taking a year off to rehabilitate and strength condition.

Momah was signed by the Eagles after a workout on March 30^th. After running a 4.4 40-yard dash and catching every ball thrown in his direction, Howie Roseman and the Eagles brass were impressed and offered the 23-year-old a three-year contract. At the NFL Combine, only five wide receivers ran in the 4.4’s. The tallest of those players was only 6-1, a half foot shorter than Momah. Momah is the tallest receiver on the Eagles by four inches and stands an inch shorter than the two tallest players on the roster, DE Clifton Geathers and OL Dennis Kelly.

In his time off last season, the New York-native worked on “lateral movement, quickness and strength,” in an attempt to get an edge on stronger NFL cornerbacks. Tall receivers often have trouble getting off the line but Momah is determined to prove that stigma wrong.

Momah is open to any opportunity he is given. After being recruited as a defensive player and playing defensive end, tight end, and wide receiver while at Boston College, he is well versed all over the field. Before his junior season, he realized that his strength was as a wide receiver and worked to become the best receiver he could be. His work paid off when he caught 8 balls for 157 yards in his opening game against Northwestern on September 3^rd, 2011. Unfortunately, tragedy struck and Momah was sidelined for the season when he tore his ACL.

“Whatever opportunity comes forth, I plan on going at it full speed,” said Momah. Full speed, as we know in Momah’s case, is 40 yards in 4.4 seconds. He is one of twelve receivers on the roster who will be fighting for the no more than seven available positions. While Momah has had injury concerns in the past, he is convinced that he is fully recovered. And, as NFL athletes have proven recently, recovering from ACL injuries and being successful is far from impossible.

Momah is among the small group of wide receivers that is showing up early to camp to get the early reps. He will have sufficient time, as potentially the best WR out of the group of four, to put the coaches on alert of who Ifeanyi Momah is. It is rare to offer a player a three-year deal after a workout and having two years off. The Eagles must have really loved what they saw and soon, the fans will too.

Chip Kelly loves his offensive players and has kept offensive positions on his rosters crowded. The wide receiver position is certainly one that he will have to take a look at this season. Momah’s versatility, size, and speed will likely have him as a favorite underdog to make the roster.